The first review for today is a children’s book about a mouse whose father keeps letting cats in. I got a real chuckle out of this one. The story ends well, thankfully, and it’s illustrated with soft outlines and calm colors. I’d recommend it if only for the twist ending. Mina, written and illustrated by Matthew Forsythe, was published by Simon and Schuster in 2022.

Catch and Kill; Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators is the title of Ronan Farrow’s book, published by Little, Brown, and Company, in 2019. Catch and Kill is the expression used to describe actions taken by a corporation to hunt down an accusation against a person or people to bury it. My sentence reads pretty stale compared to how this plays out in real life. I’m recommending this book, as it not only sheds light on powerful sex offenders and their behaviors but the vast network working to assist and protect them.

Over several months, Ronan and his team amassed extensive evidence while working against private investigators and firms employing ex-military personnel, whose expertise lies in spying and espionage. When I write, “have worked against’, I’m referring to the death threats Farrow received while trying to get this work published. It is not only in the victims’ retelling of sexual misconduct and abuse cited here that Farrow illuminates; included is the meticulous efforts some studios and their unscrupulous PR firms have adopted, from manipulating interviews to accruing massive amounts of personal data on their targets. What is truly striking; the creative energy, manpower, and unbelievable amount of money spent to destroy a victim’s reputation and livelihood from the ground up. The workplace keeps the whole thing going. I know how it feels to think you’re part of a team. That feeling can be conscientiously created for the sole purpose of a work environment built to instill silence and control.

The larger point Farrow makes that applies to people not affiliated with the film or entertainment industry is that this happens in lower-profile settings. Victims find themselves having little recourse, especially if they can’t afford an attorney. My friends who have jobs reminded me that HR works for the company, not the employees, so if you’re reading this and need some help, a quick Google search provided the U.S Equal Opportunity Commission website (eeoc.gov). It has a step-by-step protocol you can follow. I’ll say this from my own experience not related to a work environment- it is a good thing to be a loudmouth. Trust me, there is a lot of power in that.